An Alternate Season II
by Modestus
Summary: Maeve leaves the crew to stay with Caipra as the dark forces enclose on the crew. What is the source of these dark forces? And what will happen while Maeve is gone?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is fairly similar to Through the Trees. It is my initial thoughts to the preview of Season II. The only thing, I think I am going to use some of the idea about how Season II was supposed to be, according to Ed Nala and my dear friends on Distant Lands.

**Chapter 1 – A Bittersweet Goodbye**

"Maeve, I want you to know that I care about you deeply. But I am getting the feeling that it is not safe for you here. You know I will do anything to protect you."

Maeve looked at Sinbad with her dark brown eyes. There was a touch of sadness in her heart and apparently also in her captain's sea blue eyes. She knew he would bring this topic up sometime. She could feel the dark forces growing stronger. For a while, they just looked at each other without saying a word.

"But where could I go? There is nowhere safe from magic?" she finally spoke calmly, breaking the silence.

He pondered about what she said. "Maybe, you can stay with Caipra, or we can find the Isle of Dawn again."

Maeve chuckled at the second response. "Sinbad, the Isle of Dawn is under the sea. Turok destroyed it."

Sinbad grew silent again, cursing himself for such a foolish response.

"But," she continued, "staying with Caipra might not be a bad idea. She can teach me more magic while I'm there."

"And you'll have her to help you in a magical attack."

Maeve jumped up and was about to hug Sinbad when she stopped, realizing this may be the last time she will see him in a long, long time. "I am going to miss you," she whispered.

He smiled and pulled her into a warm hug. "I will miss you, too."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I love you," she whispered.

Those words struck him and his heart jumped with joy as he uttered those magic words, "I love you, too."

* * *

They docked at Basra to meet Caipra. The wise lady knew that they were coming, and she met them at the dock as the Nomad approached shore.

"I will miss you lass. You have been like a sister to me." Doubar approached Maeve and gave her a big bear hug.

"I will miss you, too, Tubby. You have been like a big brother to me." She smiled as the big man let go of her and looked at her face. She glanced at Sinbad and grinned. "And make sure to keep your little brother out of trouble."

Sinbad raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Doubar chuckled at that comment. "Aye, I will. I will."

Now Maeve moved to Rongar. She had admired the silent moor and how he always acted like a true gentleman. She hugged him for the longest time, and they shared their thoughts, their tears. As she broke away, she looked at his face. "You take care of yourself and watch over the crew for me."

A tear trickled down his face as he nodded. She raised her hand and whipped away his tear before turning to Firouz.

"Now, my little scientist. Don't blow up the boat when I'm gone," she chuckled.

Firouz gave a laugh and embraced Maeve. "Don't worry, I won't."

After hugging everyone, she looked at Caipra who nodded. She gulped. Deep down inside of her, there was a part which didn't want to leave. They were her family. How could she leave them? But she knew this was the right thing.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. I will miss you all." She closed her eyes and turned to Caipra. But before leaving, she called Dermott, who was perched on the mast. "I want you to stay here. Be my eyes while I am gone."

The bird understood and squawked a reply.

"I will miss you, too." She petted Dermott, took a deep breath, nodded at the crew, then walked down to meet Caipra.

Sinbad watched the two ladies disappear into the streets of Basra. He knew this was probably the best decision for Maeve. But deep down inside of him, he wondered if it was really the best decision.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the long, long wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Italics are the character's thoughts.

**TiaKisu: **I tried to connect the last episode of Season I where Maeve and Sinbad seem to know that they will be separated. And staying would mean Maeve may face a near certain death. Face it, Sinbad has no magic and they are vulnerable to the dark forces, especially if they are getting stronger. Having Maeve stay with Caipra and train more will give them a chance at beating the dark forces. Plus, Maeve has Caipra for protection if needed.

**Anime Princess: **Thank you. And certainly, Rumina will show up.

**Chapter 2 – Witch on the Run**

"So Sinbad thinks the old hag can protect his love. Well, I am going to teach that no good sailor a lesson. I will make him suffer. Make him feel all the pain he caused me. As for my little precious, it looks like someone needs a time out. Mwhahahahahaha." With that, the evil being misted away.

* * *

"Sinbad, looks like a storm is approaching!"

"Thanks for the tip, Firouz. Rongar, prepare the sails! Doubar, help Rongar! Men, looks like we have company!" Sinbad then stare at the dark clouds ahead. In the distance, there was a flash of lightning. "Well, at least Maeve won't mind missing this adventure."

* * *

"No father, please. I tried to save you," Rumina cried as she clinged to the cave wall. The dark sorcerer was furious and accused her of abandoning him. Why he had such an idea, she had no clue. _Did the blast cause him to grow insane?_

"Ha, you expect me to believe that. I know what I know. You are no better than a wench. Weak. Pathetic. And arrogant." He threw another wave of magic, tossing Rumina to the other side of the cave.

She got up weakly, bruised from her father's attacks. She could not fight him. His powers far outmatched her own. Further, she did not want to fight him. He was her father. She would die for him. She painted heavily as she pulled herself up to face him. His eyes were blood red with hate. For the first time in her life, she felt frightened of him. He had become a monster.

Turok walked up to her and placed his hand around her neck.

"Please father. Don't do this. I….."

He tightened his grip on her neck.

"I can't breathe."

"Hahahahaha," he laughed. "Look at you. You can't even defend yourself. I might as well suck the life blood out of you. You pathetic wench." He continued to tighten his grip.

She knew this would be the end and closed her eyes and let a tear roll down her cheek. _What could I do? Father has become insane or mad. If I can get him to release his grip, I can mist away. But where will I go? Anyway, that is not important now. I will think of that later. I hope I know what I am doing._ She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and took a last look at her father. "I love you."

He raised his eyebrow, slightly amused. He carved an evil grin. But suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his groin which made him release his grip. He squinted in pain for a split second then focused his eyes on his worthless daughter again. But she was gone. "You can't hide from me!"

* * *

"Hold your ground, crew!" Sinbad yelled at the top of his lungs. The rain was beating down hard on the ship. The storm was like no other. Waves crashed against the sides of the ship.

"Rongar, grab that rope! Doubar, hold the tiller for me!"

As Doubar took hold of the tiller, Sinbad let go and ran to help Rongar with the sail. Firouz was fixing the ropes on the other end ship.

Suddenly a huge wave washed over to where Sinbad and Rongar were. Rongar grabbed the rope tightly and held on to Sinbad, who had lost his grip on the rope. But the water kept gushing their way, and Rongar lost his grip of Sinbad's hand.

Sinbad was washed overboard. Once in the water, another strong wave slammed him against the hull of the ship. He fell unconscious. The last thing he heard was his name being yelled out from above.

Rongar dashed to the railing but could see nothing but blackness.

* * *

Sinbad slowly opened his eyes. The sand felt warm to his face. Birds' chirping could be heard overhead. And the rhythmic pounding of the waves in the sea played to his ear.

"Aw….rgh," he let out a grown and pulled himself up. But as he raised his head, he noticed a shadow. From the shape, it looked like that of a woman. He smirked and raised his head to face her. But the sun distorted his view at first, and he saw the image of his beloved sorceress. "Maeve," he whispered.

_No, it can't be Maeve_. He focused his eyes and saw a young woman wearing a yellowish skirt and pointing her sword at him. He glanced at the sword and back at her before attempting to get up. As he moved the woman took a step forward.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Apparently, the woman didn't believe him and kept motioning her sword. Sinbad quickly got onto his feet. "My name is Sinbad. What is your name?"

The woman looked at him and thought for a while before answering. "Bryn."

"Well, nice to meet you, Bryn. Now, will you lower your sword?"

She thought again before swinging her sword at him.

"Wowowoooooooooooooo…" He jumped back, missing the blade. "Okay, so you wanna play." He brandished his own sword.

She lunged at him. But as she attacked, he easily deflected her sword. She lost a little balance, and he took the chance to grab her waist from behind and place his sword on her neck.

"Ok, game's over! Drop your weapon."

She painted before closing her eyes and dropping her sword.

"Good, now we're getting somewhere." He released her and went to pick up her sword. She just watched him.

"Now, where are we?"

She stared at him before speaking, "An island, I guess."

He raised his eyebrow and smirked. "Really? So, do you know where this island is?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Great, perfect. I am on an island in some far off place with a woman who tried to kill me and has no clue where we are!" he half-yelled in frustration. "Okay, calm down now. Do you at least know of a place we can stay?"

Bryn squinted and walked up to him. "Follow me." She grabbed at her sword, but he quickly moved it away from her.

"Wowowoooooooo… Not so fast."

"Can I please have my sword back?"

"I think…..I will hold on to this for now. Now, lead me to our resting ground."

She squinted at him again. "Fine!" She then huffed off to the forest. He looked out at the sea before following her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts.

**TiaKisu: **In the end, Turok called for Rumina, but Rumina left him. Sure, she probably couldn't have done anything anyway. But Turok doesn't see this. And the blow to his head (assuming that he was crushed by the rocks and knocked out) caused him to loose it and grow insane, wanting to kill everybody. Kind-of like what happened to Gene in X-Men 3, although I originally thought of this story ever since seeing the Season II trailer back in 1997. I added Bryn and Maeve joining Capra to make it more logical. To be honest, I originally thought Maeve would go to the Isle of Dawn.

**Anime Princess: **I may surprise you. But, I hope I won't disappoint you.

**Chapter 3 – Oh Brother, Where Art Thou**

"Where is she!" he yelled knocking off his pool.

"Temper, temper, temper," a half-grinning voice came from behind him.

Turok spun around to face the originator of the voice. "Go away, you furrball."

"Furrball? Really, I expected more respect than that. After all, you would have still been dead if it wasn't for me."

"Yes, and now that I am back, I can take the world."

"You still have Sinbad in your way."

"I will take care of that. But first, I will strike him where it hurts, his heart. Mwhahahahaha!"

* * *

"Such a beautiful night, don't you think? No clouds to distort the views of the clouds." Sinbad lied on his back enjoying the sight. In the stars, he thought he saw the outline of Maeve. He gulped and a tear started to form in his eye. "I hope she is alright. Was it really the best thing for me to let her leave the crew?"

He raised his head to look at Bryn. He was surprised to see an angry face frowning and staring at him like a vulture. _She had been silent most of the night. She must feel uneasy, especially with a strange man who dressed up like a pirate, carried a sword, and had confiscated her sword. _He tried to act friendly. "So, Bryn, where are you from?"

He got no reply, just an annoying gaze.

"Do you have any family?"

Still no answer. But she did close her eyes and deepened her frown.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

With this she shot her eyes open, stared at him, and then rolled her eyes and looked into the deep forest.

He looked where she was looking but saw nothing. "What do you see?"

She glanced at him and just stared at his face. "Nothing," she spoke in a low, demoralized tone. She then got up, folded her arms, and walked to a nearby tree.

He watched her movements. _Something must be bothering her. She has been so quiet, maybe too quiet._ "You know talking always helps. I am a friend, not your captor. Don't be afraid."

With this she chuckled. "Captor? Sinbad, you have no idea. I could kill you where you stand."

He raised his eyebrow. _What does she mean by that? He could easily defeat her in another battle. But probably she is just putting up her defenses. Maeve used to do that a lot. _"But you won't," he challenged her.

She thought a little, frowned, and tightened her grip around her arms. "No," she whispered in a low, defeated voice.

"Thought so. So do you care to talk? It is such a shame to ruin such a beautiful night."

She quickly turned around to face him. "Sinbad, lets play a game, shall we. We will see who can stay quiet longer."

He chuckled. "Sounds fun to me. Do you want to go first?"

She groaned. "Sinbad, I really don't feel like talking. I have bigger problems to think about."

He raised his eyebrow. "Which is?"

This really infuriated her. She wished she could tear him to shreds. But she couldn't. She needed his help. But she could not keep down her anger any more, snapping at him. "Sinbad, please. I lost my father, landed on this deserted island, and you happened to show up. Don't torment me anymore."

This caused him to raise his eyebrow again. "Sorry to hear that. But how is me showing up a bad thing?"

She calmed down and thought. "It's not. It's actually a good thing. Now I have an annoying sailor who can help me get off this island."

He chuckled. _Annoying sailor. Reminds me of Maeve._ But a thought struck his mind. "Hey, how did you know I'm a sailor?"

Bryn looked at him, prying into his mind. But she found nothing, just curiosity. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "Well, didn't you say that a moment ago? Obviously you have a crew. Plus, isn't Sinbad the famous captain who seems to always get himself into trouble?"

He chuckled again. He was starting to like this Bryn. "So you heard about me."

She rolled her eyes and groaned again. "Yeah, and you are just as annoying as the stories say."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, I am not that annoying."

"Sinbad, just be quiet! I'm going into the woods, but I will be back soon. Just stay here and don't do something stupid."

"Aye, aye, captain," he joked, causing Bryn to squint at him before huffing off. _This will be interesting._ He looked up at the stars again and fell asleep. In the daylight, he will try to see if he could contact his crew.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts.

**Anime Princess: **Bryn is not what you know her in Season II. That is why it is called an Alternate Season II. And as I pointed out to TiaKisu in the notes of the last chapter, this could have all been done without Bryn. It is basically how I saw Season II before I actually watched Season II. But I added some stuff from Season II to fill in the gaps. And yes, Bryn is holding a dark secret from Sinbad, who will try to figure it out.

Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy the story.

**Chapter 4 – Night of a Lifetime**

_What am I doing? I must tell him and stop wasting time. But I can't. Oh, get a grip. You're time is running out. Now go to him and tell him. You're a big girl._ Bryn sighed, took a deep breathe, and headed back to camp where Sinbad was waiting.

"Sinbad, I…." As she was going to say what she intended, she noticed Sinbad had fallen fast asleep and was snoring peacefully. Her jaw snapped shut and formed a frown. "Sinbad has a great way of vanishing when you need him. I wonder if I should wake him." She grinned at the though of throwing a bucket of water on him. If only she had one. _Well, a bunch of sand would do just as well._ But as she stepped forward, she noticed something that made her stop. He looked like an angel. She curved a big smile and decided on a different course of action. Carefully, she knelt beside him and lied down. _I can't believe I am doing this. But it feels so good._ She looked at his face. _Good, I didn't wake him._ With that, she cuddled up next to him, closed her eyes, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Tweet, tweet." The sound of the birds overhead woke Bryn. She cracked her eye open and the sun's rays warmed her face. _Great, another day._ She had a very pleasant night sleep. One she had not had in a long time. She felt something on her stomach. It wrapped over her belly like a snake. She looked down with a questioning face but smiled after noticing what it was. Sinbad had placed his arm over her stomach. He breathed quietly as he slept. She looked at his face and admired it before whispering, "Rise and shine, sleepy head."

"Oh Maeve, just a few more moments," he groaned with his eyes closed.

This shocked her a little. _This is the second time he called me Maeve._ Squinting her eyes but using a calm, low tone, she corrected him, "Well, I can tell you one thing. I am not Maeve."

He shot his eyes open and the first thing he saw was Bryn half smiling and half frowning at him. He jumped up, startled at what he had done. "W….What…..what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I was sleeping with you." She got up and folded her arms while looking at him with those challenging eyes.

"W….What? Are you crazy? You hardly even know me, and you decided to sleep with me!"

"Well, you are a very handsome guy. I would be surprised if a girl wouldn't want to sleep with you."

His mouth dropped. Certainly, she was good at arguing. But something didn't feel right. "W…Wait a minute, first you tried to kill me, then you snapped at me, and now you wanted to sleep with me?"

She fell silent, caught off-guarded.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

She looked at the ground before returning her eyes to meet his. "Well…I was… scared at first. And you were like holding me prisoner. But when I returned from the forest, the image of you sleeping, I just couldn't resist"

It sounded logical. Certainly, that could explain the chain of events. But who was this woman? He knew little about her. He twisted his jaw and left her face. _Think. Come on, think. _He paced back and force, rubbing his chin, while she followed him with her eyes. _Was this really happening? I had just slept with a strange woman who came out of nowhere and seems to have rapid mood swings. How can I ever explain this to Maeve? She will certainly fry me for this._ He chuckled at that thought. "Oh, Maeve is going to kill me."

"Well, if she doesn't know, she won't kill you."

"Oh, she has ways of figuring out," he chuckled.

"Really? Do you care to enlighten me?"

He stared at her. She seemed to like to challenge him. He curved a smirk. "What makes you so interested in her?"

"Well, how about because you called me Maeve twice."

He grinned. "Well, she can just look at you and tell that you are lying. Therefore, I can't hide anything from her."

"Really?" Bryn grinned and walked up to him. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Well, I'll just make sure she understands." She patted his cheek. "Okay, now time to get moving."

He dropped his jaw again, shocked and in disbelief. _Did she just do that? She really thinks she can make Maeve understand? She doesn't even know Maeve. _He closed his mouth and gulped.

"Well, we don't have all day."

He smirked. "Aye, aye captain."

She just rolled her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts. Thanks all for the reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TiaKisu:** Yup, Bryn in A New Life, Hell House, and Through the Trees is more like my Bryn on Distant Lands than the Bryn here. I should have probably labeled this story as a mystery. Although it is not the mystery you think (Agatha Christy and such), there are clues which help you better understand the story.

And to give a generalization of X-Men 3, Gene loved Scott. After being washed away by heavy waters and drowned, she came back, but her brain was severely damaged, causing her to think that the others and Scott let her die. She killed Scott. Okay, now say Turok is Gene and Rumina is Scott. Thus, Turok will try to kill Rumina for abandoning him.

**Anime Princess: **One of the points of this story is to make you think. And well, it should start to make more sense in later chapters. Don't want to give away spoilers. And yeah, Maeve is going to be pretty angry if she finds out. I can see Maeve just chasing after Sinbad, yelling at him. Man, I love this.

**Chapter 5 – The Death of a Sorceress**

"Firouz, do you see anything?" The big brother was gripping the tiller tightly while navigating the ship in an attempt to find Sinbad. He couldn't lose his little brother. _He is the only thing I got._ Somehow, holding tightly on to something helped him cope with this dreadful situation.

The scientist released a big sigh of defeat. He hoped that something will show up. "Nope…... sorry Doubar. No land. No Sinbad. Just open water. It's strange how such a storm could have washed him so far… if he is alive, of course," he said in a monotone voice while looking through his magnascope.

"He is alive. I know it. Just keep looking," the older brother scowled at him. The big guy looked up to the sky and prayed. "Please let him be okay," he whispered.

* * *

"Now Maeve, concentrate."

"I am concentrating. It's just not working." She was trying to make herself vanish, just like Rumina. She had already had some success on making items disappear and reappear again. Unfortunately, when she made the glass of water disappear, it reappeared over her head, and the water spilt on her. Dripping with wet hair, Caipra chuckled and handed her the towel.

"Focus all your power on a single point."

Maeve was getting annoyed. This just wasn't working, no matter how hard she tried.

"Imagine a great big black hole," a deep, evil voice came from behind them.

Caipra's eyes grew wide, and she spun around. Maeve also shot her eyes open and looked to see who the visitor, or intruder, was.

"Turok, how did you….?" Caipra's voice was trembling somewhat in fear although she tried to remain calm. She thought Sinbad killed him a year ago. Certainly, she did not expect to see him.

"Come back to life," he finished the sentence for her chuckling evilly. "Well, let's just say I have many tricks up my sleeve. I am far more powerful than you think I am." He laughed and approached her. As he did, she took a step back. "What, are you afraid?" He grinned at Caipra then noticed Maeve gripping the candle of her sword. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, my dear."

"What do you want?" Caipra's voice became bold as she placed a hand on Maeve.

"Oh, the usual. Death. Power. Revenge on Sinbad." He laughed again. "You frightened, old hag? Yes, that's it. Show your fear, your suffering. Because that's the last thing you will ever feel again!" His eyes shot out magic balls of fire. Caipra tried to deflect them, but it was no use. The balls of fire penetrated her magical shield and hit her with full force, sending her flying to the wall. She hit it and fell like a rock.

Maeve was horrified. If Turok could defeat Caipra so easily, she would be no match for him. She chose to try her sword. If anything, the blade might be her best shot.

"Ah, you think that will stop me?" He laughed and approached her.

Her heart pounded faster as he came closer. She kept her sword pointed at him, ready to strike. Bur he was right. The sword was useless. He just knocked it out of her hands like a toothpick. She didn't know what to do. _Where is Sinbad when you need him? _Nothing, not even her magic, could stop him. He curled his fingers around her neck. The cold touch of his long fingernails sent shivers through her spine. She closed her eyes. _I'm sorry, Sinbad._

But somehow the grip on her neck vanished. She opened her eyes and saw him holding his leg while glaring at Caipra.

"Time to die, old hag!" With that, he dealt one final blow to the old woman.

"Now, where were we?" he turned back to Maeve.

Panicked, she tried to gather all her powers, anything that could help her make one last stand, although deep down she knew it would be futile. _What to do? What to do? Come on, think girl, think. What would Sinbad do? Fight. No, that's useless. Run. Nah, he will catch me. Hide. _She thought about the idea. _ It may work, if only I could do it. _She squeezed her eyes shut, again, and concentrated with all her power. As he started to close his hand on her neck once again, she vanished.

* * *

"So how did you get on this island?"

This stopped Bryn dead in her tracks. "That is none of your concern."

"Okay, so where are we heading."

She groaned. "Sinbad! Do you always talk so much?"

He was half-surprised by this, but he sort of expected it. "No. But I would at least like to know where I am going and about the person I am following."

She felt cornered again. _Did he know? Am I being a fool for not telling him? Maybe this is a good time. She took a deep breath and faced him_. "Sinbad, I…..." She suddenly felt a shiver down her spine and stopped. She searched around her and the air above to find the source of this unwelcomed feeling.

"You…" he tried to help her continue.

"Look out!" she tackled him. Out of nowhere came a huge fireball that could have easily killed him if she hadn't pushed him out of the way.

He was shocked by the fire ball but more shocked by her keen instinct. For one, he was thankful. The only person who he would allow to fry him would be Maeve. He looked at Bryn who was on top of him. "Thanks."

She looked at him and blushed a little. "You're welcome."

"Bravo! Bravo! Well done Sinbad," Turok clapped.

Bryn and Sinbad got up off the ground to face him.

"You?"

"Well, were you expecting the tooth fairy?"

"I thought I killed you long ago."

"Well, let's just say, you missed me," the dark lord laughed.

Bryn looked at Sinbad then back at Turok but remained silent and glared at him like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.

"I see you found a replacement for Maeve."

"SHE IS NOT A REPLACEMENT! I JUST FOUND HER ON THIS ISLAND!"

"Okay. Well, you should think of her to replace Maeve. Because Maeve is dead."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts. Thanks again all for the reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TiaKisu:** Hm, I see your point. Chapter 5 was probably the darkest chapter of the story. Although death/suspense is a critical theme here, I am not on a killing rampage. Caipra's death was necessary. Turok would have killed Maeve, but Caipra sacrificed her life to save Maeve's. And if that scorpion beast could have easily trapped Dimdim, what makes you think Turok can't kill Dimdim? Now, I am not going to kill Dimdim. He is trapped, and Turok has no reason to waste his powers on trying to kill Dimdim.

But I would try to give more room for them in the future. I really have to think of my next story, The End. Oh, and just remember, things often are not as they seem in my stories. I like to play tricks on the mind. Caipra is not dead, yet.

About Bryn, yes, she has unfinished business with Turok. About Maeve, no, it should be clear that she had been practicing making things, and eventually herself, disappear.

**Chapter 6 – Deception**

Sinbad's heart broke into a thousand pieces as he heard Turok's words. Could it be? He lost her. He thought it would be safer for her to leave the crew and stay with Caipra. But apparently he was wrong. Or could it have happened even if she stayed. He or the crew would have little luck defending her against Turok. Really, it was a miracle he defeated the sorcerer the first time. Could he do it again?

He wanted to believe Turok was telling a lie, but that was wishful thinking. Deep down he knew that this very much could be true. Anger and rage filled him. He wanted to tear Turok to shreds. Fire started to grow within him. He grinded his teeth and breathed heavily like a bull ready to charge at its target.

"Yes, go on. Show your pain, your suffering," he laughed evily.

"MAEVE IS NOT DEAD! THAT IS A LIE, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Perhaps, perhaps," he laughed again. Sinbad bolted toward him with fire in his eyes and aimed to chop off his head. But he vanished before he could reach him, and he ended up swinging his sword in mid air.

* * *

Maeve looked around from her hiding place. _Good, he's nowhere in sight. Coast looks clear. Hope he is not watching me. _She made herself reappear. She looked around and stayed on the alert if Turok came back. Over by the wall, she spotted Caipra's body lying on the floor and ran to her.

She touched Caipra's face and tried not to cry. She could not believe it. The old woman was like a mother to her. And how could she tell Dimdim. He would be crushed. A tear rolled down her cheek. She felt so cold and….alone. She closed her eyes to cry.

"Huuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh," a faint whisper came from out of nowhere. She opened her eyes and noticed that the sound came from Caipra. Her face lit up. Maybe Caipra wasn't dead. "Caipra! Caipra! You alive?"

The old lady slightly opened her eyes and smiled at her. "Yes, my dear." She paused then continued, "But the magical blast is slowly eating me away."

Maeve's heart fell. She was hoping for good news. The happiness on her face had vanished. "Caipra, I can't lose you. Who will teach me?"

The old woman gave a slight smile. "You are powerful, my dear. Remember what I taught you."

"I will, my teacher." She tried to hold back her tears.

The old woman closed her eyes, never to open again. A smile remained imprinted on her face.

"Sleep well," Maeve whispered.

* * *

"Firouz, anything yet?"

"No, Doubar, nothing," he signed.

Far away in the remains of Skull Mountain, Turok laughed. "Of course you see nothing. Because I sent that storm to carry Sinbad to that island, which I had made to be invisible. They will never find their captain, and he will be doomed to remain on that island thinking Maeve is dead. As for the girl accompanying him, I wonder how she got on that island. Nevertheless, she seems to be no threat. And alas, she may annoy him into misery. Boy, I am just too good." He grinned and tapped his fingers together. "Now, since this should keep the stupid crew busy for a while, I will focus my attention on Baghdad and seize the throne." He ignored the thought that Maeve is still alive. The burden of searching for her bored him. After all, he had little success finding his own daughter. When Maeve or his daughter wanted to show up, he would deal with them then.

* * *

"Turok! I will find you and kill you if it is the last thing I do!" Sinbad shouted in frustration to the sky. Bryn just looked at him.

He crouched to the ground and scooped up a handful of sand. "She can't be dead. She just can't. She is everything to me. I love her, not just as a partner, but like a sister. She is a part of me." He dropped the sand and watched it fall. "What can I do without her?"

Tears formed in Bryn's eyes. She felt for him. After all, she was feeling the same thing. She lost her family. She had nothing. She put her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her with teary eyes. He got up and gave her a hug and cried on her shoulder. "If only I could see her body for one last time."

This struck her. Could she grant his wish? She had sworn not to use her powers, but she just could not stand and do nothing. If she were in his place, she would like to see her family dead or alive one last time. She gulped_. I hope I am doing the right thing._ "Sinbad, I may be able to transport you to Maeve."

He released his grip and slowly stepped back and looked at her questioningly. _This is really odd. Does she have magic, too?_ "How? Do you have magic? And you don't even no where Maeve is.

She thought before responding. "Well, she must be on your ship?"

"No. But even if she was, how do you know which ship is my ship?"

_Okay, this was a bad idea. Think girl, think._ "I can trace your ship by…your…..biosignal."

"My bio-what?"

"Your biosignal. It is some kind of an identifier."

"Now you sound like Firouz," he chuckled.

She signed in relief, but that was a bad move, too, because he raised his sword and held it to her neck. "Okay, enough games! Who are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts. Again, thank you all for the reviews, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TiaKisu:** Sorry, but I hated the Dimdim intervention in Season II. Seemed to be a too easy escape. And hence the question, if he could do that, why did he chose to do it in Season II? Why not earlier? And that was a very lame cover up of the fact Jackie left the show.

Anyway, I thought having Maeve learn this would be interesting. She still can't transport from one location to another like Rumina, yet.

**Anime Princess: **I tried to show that although Sinbad loves Maeve, the crew, including her, is like a family to him.

And twists are critical here.

**Chapter 7 – The Truth**

Bryn breathed heavily. Her eyes had grown wide. She expected this to happen if he found out, but she was surprised he would have suspicion so quickly. What did she do wrong? Anyhow, she was left cursing herself. _Stupid, stupid girl. You knew what would happen if he found out. How do you think he will side with you, now? _

She looked up into the sky. _Good, he's not watching us. Guess he got tired. So I can drop my act for now. But I still have to be careful and conceal my identity when needed._

"Answer me! Who are you?" He was loosing his patience. To him, he now saw her as nothing but one of Turok's scum sent to either distract him or lure him into the dark sorcerer's trap.

She returned her attention to him and gulped. "Now Sinbad, please stay calm. We don't have much time. I need your help just as much as you need mine."

He raised an eyebrow. "O…kay, so how do you need my help?"

She hoped that this would go well. "My name is Rumina. I need you to help me kill my father."

* * *

"A toast to our first anniversary of peace with Basra," the Caliph hailed. Omar raised his glass for the toast.

* * *

Sinbad raised his eyebrow and thought. _Bryn was Rumina all along. How could I have been so foolish? And I…..slept with her. Then again, she always seemed to have held an interest in me. Wonder what Maeve would say if she found out. She hates her more than anything._ He curved a smirk and chuckled. "You did good. For a time, you really fooled me."

Her face lit up. "So you are not mad and going to help me?"

"No," he chuckled. "But first, let's have a little chat, shall we." He kept his sword at her throat. "Now let's start by you telling me why you want me to kill your father and why you disguised yourself?"

She squinted at him. She really hated when he did that. _Why I really want to just rip him to shreds. Who does he think I am? I will not be treated this way. He should be the one cornered, not me. Okay, calm down. He at least seems willing to listen to you. But I will not have that cocky, no good sailor belittle me._

"Well?"

She cleared her throat and looked at the ground. "My father…." she choked up. "He changed. Perhaps the blast affected him. He now wants to kill me. He…..he is the only one I have. Without him, I have nobody. No family. I don't want to kill him, but if I don't, he will kill me." A tear rolled down her face. "I don't want to be alone."

He gulped. No, he couldn't kill her. At least, not now. If she was on the bad side, it would be easier. But she seemed to be torn by both sides. He eased his grip on the sword.

"However, he is too powerful. I can't stop him on my own. But you…" she looked up at him with half-teary eyes. "You killed him once. You can do it again."

He released a heavy exhale. He couldn't believe that Rumina, his enemy, was here, asking him for help. It was like the tables had turned. He was now in control. But could this all be an act. How could he trust her? This was just too much for him.

"Why did you trick me into thinking you were someone else?"

She sensed that he didn't believe her. "I…..I changed myself into Bryn, so I could hide from my father. If I hadn't put on a disguise, he would have easily found and killed me."

_Made sense. Maybe she is telling the truth. Or maybe she is working with her father and made up this whole story to trap me._ "Why did you not use your powers?"

She smirked. "Well Sinbad, that should be obvious. If I used my powers, Turok would become suspicious. And that is the last thing I want to do."

Annoyed by her change in tone, he glared at her. "Okay, why did you attack me?"

She dropped silent. She had expected this would come up, but hoped it would just pass by. She really did not have a good explanation for this. It was more of an outburst of hate. But she would loose in her bid to convince him if she did not give him adequate evidence. "I…I initially wanted to kill you, like I always had. But after thinking about it, I guess that was not a wise move. Hope you can understand."

He chuckled. _Yup, that's the Rumina I know._ He signed, "Okay Rumina, now since you told me who you are, you can lower your disguise."

"No! If I do, Turok may find me. I am only telling you this right now, because I sense he is not watching us. And please, don't tell anybody, even your crew, about my identity."

"O…kay. So what do we do, now?

"Well…you want to see Maeve's body, don't you?" She offered her hand, expecting him to take it.

He looked at it then back at her. "But how can I trust you?"

She gave him that annoyed look and rolled her eyes. "I am the best hope you got. Now, will you please take my hand?"

He hesitated at first but, after thinking about it, decided to take the chance. He lowered his sword. She seemed serious about this. She wanted to help him. And in exchange, she expected him to help her. But just in case, he stayed on the alert at all times, if this was a trick.

She smiled as he took her hand. "Shall we dance?"

"RUMINA!"

"Okay, okay, just kidding. Gee wiz. Cool it." She prepared her powers. "Okay, now, where is Maeve?"

He looked at her strangely. "Don't you know?"

She again rolled her eyes. "Well, I have no magical pool with me."

"What?"

"Nevermind. So, where is she?"

"Caipra's place."

"The old hag. Should have known. Okay, hold on tight." She created a whirlwind and they vanished.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts. Again, thank you all for the reviews, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Anime Princess: **Yup, bravo! Good case work!

I did say that this was similar to Through the Trees (though not finished with it), so you can expect that Rumina will work with the crew. But this time, to specifically stop Turok.

About Maeve, oh, I am going to love that part. Looks like Sinbad will have to play negotiator again.

**Chapter 8 – And Away We Go  
**

"Sinbad, you can let go, now."

He had moved from just holding Bryn's hand to wrapping his arms around her. The feeling of teleporting frightened him a little bit, and he clung to her for fear of falling off. It was his first time, but he felt embarrassed when he realized what he was doing. He looked at her, and she smiled and blushed. "Uh…sorry," he chocked

"Uhhuhum," a somewhat angry voice came from the corner.

* * *

"Your highness, Omar's ship has left."

The Caliph turned from the window to face his messenger. He nodded his acceptance. The guard bowed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. The Caliph then returned to the window.

* * *

"Maeve!" Sinbad exclaimed, running to her after noticing that she was the beholder of the voice. "I thought you were dead."

She was happy to see him, too, except that he was with another woman. And not just any woman. She was quite surprised to see the whirlwind before they showed up. For a split second, she expected Rumina to show up, but was surprised to see her captain and another woman instead. But as he approached her, she shook off the thought and focused her attention on him. "Really, you thought I was dead? I thought you had more faith in me than that," she joked before kissing him. However, her jealousy soon came back. _Okay, now time to find out about that wench. _"So, who's her?" nodding at Bryn.

He looked at her then at Bryn, who gave him a challenging glare. _She specifically asked me not to reveal her identity. But could I lie to Maeve or my crew. She would find out eventually anyway. However, she would never work with the witch in their bid to stop Turok. It would be best to leave the truth for later. _ He turned back to face his love, who was giving him that all too familiar face which said she expected a good answer. "This is Bryn. I found her on an island I washed up on."

"You washed up on?"

_Right, she didn't know. _"Well…..there was a storm, and I was washed overboard. The waves were too strong. I hit my head and passed out. The next thing, I found myself on an island."

She chuckled. "The great Sinbad the sailor, how could I ever imagine you getting overpowered in a storm?"

He almost dropped his jaw. He was shocked….speechless. His pride had been hurt a bit. But he soon got to his senses and chuckled. She was playing with him, just like she did so many times. She liked to challenge him, and they would spend countless hours debating or arguing on the most minute detail. Strangely, he loved those arguments. He felt like kissing her again. And from the look in her eyes, she seemed to be expecting one.

"Okay, okay, break it up! We don't have time for this!" Bryn snapped at both of them, causing Maeve to getting angry and annoyed. They were sharing a little moment, and this girl had to barge in and disrupt it.

"Excuse me, shorty. But we were in a conversation," the Celt snapped back at the little woman. "And why don't we have time?"

Bryn glared at her for calling her shorty. _Why, I would make her pay for that. If I didn't need Sinbad's help, I would …_ She ground her teeth but tried to stay calm. _Okay, stay calm. No reason to start a fight._ She breathed slowly and looked to the captain to provide the answer.

He noticed Bryn staring at him with a frown on her face. He was afraid a fight would break out between the two women, and that was the last thing they needed, or he wanted. He gulped and tried to ease the tension. Hopefully, Maeve had not figured that Bryn was Rumina. "Maeve, you probably know Turok has returned. We need to stop him before it is too late."

The Celtic sorceress turned to her captain. She half-smiled and nodded. "Yes, I know. He came here earlier and killed Caipra. He tried to kill me." She looked in the direction where Caipra's body lay and sobbed a little. "She gave her life to save me."

He had feared this truth and put his hand on her shoulder before walking with her to where the old sorceress lay. He crouched down and gently picked up the lifeless hand. "You have been a great help to us, and we all will remember you and the sacrifices you made. You have aided Maeve in Dimdim's absence, and she could not have any better guardian. As for Dimdim, he would be proud to have such a loyal and courageous wife. Your body may have left us, but your soul would live on for eternity. I sometimes saw you as a second mother to me. Thank you for everything you done for us, for me, Maeve, and my crew. Rest in peace, my friend." He whipped his eyes and kissed the hand before gently placing it over her stomach. Maeve put her hand on his shoulder and shared a hug while moaning the loss.

Bryn looked up. Something wasn't right. "Uh….sorry, to interrupt, again, but I think we should be moving."

He broke the embrace and looked at Bryn. From her brown eyes, he understood what he had to do. She needed him to help her kill Turok. In order to do that, he would need the help of his crew. And having Maeve with him would add much extra help. He would need all the help he could get. He nodded and looked at his love. "We need to go now."

"Go where?" she asked as she rose with him.

"To find my crew." He then turned to Bryn. "Can you take us there?"

The petite sorceress rolled her eyes. "I think I can."

"Great! Maeve?"

The Celt looked at Caipra then back at him. She nodded.

"Take my hand."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it." After she took his hand, he turned to Bryn. "Okay, we're ready." He took Bryn's hand and with that, they vanished in a whirlwind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Italics are the character's thoughts. Again, thank you all for the reviews, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Anime Princess: **Haha, yup, Maeve's going to be pretty upset. Of course, she already has suspicion. And Sinbad is going to feel her wrath.

**Chapter 9 - War**

"Iyad, a message for you." The messenger ran up to him, bowed, and handed him a letter.

He took the letter with a questioning look on his face. As his most loyal and chief guard, Omar had placed him in charge of the city during his absence. Shortly before the messenger arrived, he was told that Omar's ship had left Baghdad and was hoping for his highness' safe return. So the arrival of a letter seemed puzzling. He carefully opened it and read the letter with a grim face. His frown deepened as he read further. He closed his eyes and folded up the letter.

"Thank you," he said and dismissed the messenger. Then he turned to his guards. "Prepare the warships. We're at war."

* * *

"Okay, we're here. Now, can I breathe?"

Both Sinbad and Maeve found themselves wrapping their arms around Bryn, just like how he had done before. They were both so embarrassed, especially him, because he had done that and should have known better. "Sorry," they both apologized to the brunette.

"Don't mention it," the tiny sorceress said slightly annoyed. "So, this is your cabin, Sinbad. Nice place." She picked up a little dust that was on the floor.

"Um…..thanks. I do my best," he exclaimed a little more embarrassed and receiving a roll of the eyes from Maeve, who had chuckled at the brunette's comment. He scowled at the Celt.

"R…ight. Like you really do a good job," the brunette added sarcastically. Maeve couldn't take it any more and just had to burst out laughing. Bryn raised her eyebrow and looked at the laughing Celt. Sinbad hid his face from any further embarrassment.

"O…kay. Now, let's meet the crew," Bryn said as the laughter died down. She turned the knob and entered the hallway. But as she stepped out, she was suddenly grabbed and a sword was forced to her throat.

"Okay, so how did you get…," Doubar yelled angrily. He stopped when he saw his brother. "Sinbad!" He let go of Bryn, pushed her aside, and run to his younger brother and embraced him in a big bear hug. "I missed you so much. We've been searching for you for who knows how long."

"I….missed you…too," he exhaled trying to breathe under the big man's embrace. "Doubar, can't breathe."

"Oh…sorry. I'm just so happy to see you." The big man clapped his brothers shoulder then spotted Maeve. "Lass! It's so great to see you!" He embraced her into another big hug, although remembering not to squeeze too hard. He didn't want to hurt her. "What are you doing here?"

She happily hugged him back. She really did miss him. Truth be told she didn't like the idea of leaving the crew, but tried to make the best of it. After all, what's more important: her mission or being with them? If she could take both, that would be great. But it was one or the other. And what Sinbad said was logical and in her best interests. Plus, arguing with him has always turned out pointless. Anyway, now she was happy to be back despite the loss of Caipra. That would always be a sore point in her heart. She half-smiled at Doubar while thinking of the old woman. "I needed to come back. We have work to do."

The gentle giant furrowed his brow. "What kind of work to do? Where's Caipra?"

The Celt gulped and tried not to cry. "Doubar….Caipra's dead."

His face fell. "Dead? What happened?" He embraced her in another hug.

"Turok is back. We need to stop him before it is too late."

At those words, he released her and looked her straight in the eye. "Turok's back? How? I thought Sinbad killed him."

"I know. Somehow, he was reanimated. "

Doubar was speechless. _That's impossible. Nobody could come back from the dead. Unless… _He started to wrinkle his forehead. This time, he will make sure that black sorcerer stayed dead. "What do we need to do?"

"Um…I'm not sure, actually. I'm sure you have a plan, Sinbad." She looked at her captain with those brown eyes.

_Damn, why does she have to do that? How could I know? We don't even know where Turok is._ He straightened up. "Well, we first need to find Turok. Tell Firouz to prepare some of his exploding sticks. Ru…Bryn, can you locate him?"

The brunette raised her eyebrow as Sinbad was about to give away her secret. But she quickly shrugged off her concern when he corrected himself. She didn't want someone to notice her tense up, because they might figure out that something was awfully strange. Hopefully, no one noticed. "I could try."

Sinbad nodded at her. "Okay, well, let's do it."

"Aye aye, captain!" exclaimed the big man.

"Aye aye!" said Maeve.

"Aye!" Bryn tried her best to fit in. Then they all left the cabin.

* * *

"Warships are ready, sir."

"Weapons?"

"2000 archers, 8000 spears, and 10000 swordsmen."

"Good, and how many ships."

"150, sir."

Iyad gulped. He had wished this day wouldn't come. "Good, prepare to launch by sundown." He took a deep breathe and gazed into the horizon.

* * *

"This is your cabin, R…..Bryn."

She snickered. "This is twice you made the same mistake." _He looks a little cute when he does that. And the cabin door is closed, so no one can here. Plus, I haven't felt her father watching over them since we left the island._

"A…..sorry. It's a habit."

"It's okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"You're okay."

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." She pushed him out the door and closed it. Then, she leaned her back on the door and blinked her eyes. "This is too strange. Concentrate, Rumina, concentrate." Suddenly, there was a tapping on the door. Now, she was annoyed. "What!" she yelled, yanking open the door.

It was Maeve.

"Can I come in?" she asked politely.

Bryn really didn't feel like having visitors, but she wanted to stay on good terms with the Celt. So she let her in and softly closed the door. She then faced Maeve and asked, "Is something wrong"

The peasant wench smirked. "Okay Rumina, cut the act."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long, long, long, long, long wait. Italics are the character's thoughts. Again, thank you all for the reviews, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

**TiaKisu:** Basra is at war with Baghdad (part of Turok's plan). And one of my great ironic stories: Maeve working with Rumina and vice versa. Sinbad was nice to work directly with Rumina instead of having Maeve work with her in the Trickster, but Maeve will this time be forced to work directly (sort of against her will) with the witch.

**Anime Princess: **Well, Sinbad really did give the last piece of evidence to convince Maeve that Bryn is really Rumina. And about Turok, I think it is a mix of revenge and doing what they have always been doing, fighting the evil.

**Chapter 10**

Wide eyed, Rumina gulped. This was bad. She did not want anyone to know who she was. The more people knew, the likelier Turok would find her, and that would ruin all plans. Plus, conflict within the crew was always a possibility. _If that pesky peasant wench messes up my plan, I will sure make her pay._

"R….."

The black witch put her hand to Maeve's mouth. Her eyes narrowed and scanned the room to see if any magic, particularly Turok's magic, was allowing him to watch them.

"Rum….."

"Shush," the black witch snapped and lightly slapped the red-head's cheek. She smiled, partly because she liked the fact that she was overpowering the wench and partly because she didn't sense any signs of Turok's evil eye. _I guess father got tired of watching the crew._ But her smile soon vanished. _What happens when father finds out Sinbad is off the island? He will search for the captain, find us here, and then...we're doomed._

"Rumina!" Maeve grew impatient and shoved the tiny sorceress' hand away. _How dare she slap me. If I could, I'll squash her like a bug._

The tiny black eyes grew wide again. The wench's voice was loud enough for a crew member to have heard her through the cabin door. Now she was really furious, clamping her hand on her enemy's mouth tight enough that she couldn't speak and pinning her to the door. Of course, this was quite a task for the tiny sorceress. The red-head was about five fingers taller than she was. Still, any woman would know that when she is furious, she has a sudden surge in strength. She whispered in a soft but stern tone, "Listen wench, no one must know my identity. The last thing we need is one if Turok finds me and two some of the crew members feeling uncomfortable and causing conflict. Now, are you going to corporate?"

The Celt squinted and rolled her eyes. This was so humiliating, especially being overpowered by not just her prime enemy but also by a woman that wasn't half her size. She nodded.

Rumina slowly released her hand, inspecting carefully if Maeve would betray her.

"Okay, Ru…"

"Can you call me Bryn, thank you?"

Maeve raised her eyebrows and smirked. "O…kay, Bryn, so why don't you want Turok to find you?"

She grinded her teeth and really hated that peasant wench, not just of her half-arrogant tone. "If Turok finds me…he'll kill me. And then there will be nothing to stand in his path. Don't you see, I am the only one who has a chance at defeating him. Even your old hag couldn't stop him."

"The old hag could stop you, so what makes you think you can stop Turok?" She waited awhile while Rumina lay silent but then continued. "I think you are just doing this to trick Sinbad in protecting you."

"Not true."

But the Celt ignored that and continued. "And let me guess, you are going to lead the crew to help you defeat Turok, and once you are done, you can take care of the crew as if they never knew. That is, besides my trusty captain." The Celt then crossed her arms and starred hard at the dark witch.

"Not exactly. Yes, I need the crew to help me take Turok. He is too powerful for me to do alone. After he is dead…..well, we'll see where things go, shall we?"

"Wait a minute rat, what makes you think I will do nothing? I won't let you betray or hurt my friends just so you can save yourself."

"Who are you calling a rat!" Rumina forgot to keep her voice down and regretted it, because a moment later someone knocked on the door. "Bryn, are you alright? Is someone telling you that you are a rat? If so, just ignore him and tell him that Doubar won't allow you to be treated that way." He paused. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for bringing back my bother in one piece."

Rumina gulped and looked at Maeve, who had a little smirk on her face. _Wipe that smirk off your face, wench._

The red-head was surprised to hear a voice in her head. _ Is that you? And don't call me wench, witch._

_Whatever. Just be good._

_Ha, are you talking to me?_

_I'm warning you. _With that, the witch spoke, "It's alright Doubar. I'm just debating with Maeve about stopping Turok. She just caught me hugging Sinbad, and you know how jealous she can get."

"Okay, Bryn. I trust Maeve won't harm you. She's a good lass." And he turned around a chuckled at the thought of the two girls arguing over his all-too-handsome brother.

After he was gone, Maeve quickly whispered in a harsh tone. "What was that? Now Doubar thinks I am the bad guy."

Rumina, still in Bryn's form, smirked. "I told you to be good. Now, lets stop this bickering and get down to the point: stopping Turok."

The Celt sighed in partial defeat. "Okay Rumina, so what do we do?"

"I will think of something. Meanwhile prepare for attack. And don't tell anyone about me."

"Doesn't sound like a plan to me."

Rumina squinted at her.

"Okay, okay, I'll let you think about it. Just tell me when you're done thinking." Maeve opened the door to leave. Once she left, Rumina closed the cabin door quietly, closed her eyes, and then slammed her fist on the door.


End file.
